Machine for making a spirally bound sheaf



Dec. 12, 1939. w. GRUMBACHER MACHINE FOR MAKING A SPIRALLY BOUND SHEAF Filed Feb. 16, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR,

ORNEY.

Dec. 12, 1939. w. GRUMBACHER MACHINE FOR MAKING A SPIRALLY BOUND SHEAF Filed Feb. 16, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR, la [fer firu/mbwfial;

Dec. 12, 1939. w. GRUMBACHER 2,182,344

MACHINE FOR MAKING A SPIRALLY BOUND SHEAF Filed Feb. 16, 1933 V 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR,

Patented Dec. 12, 1939 UNITED STATES MACHINE FOR MAKING-A srmAL Y BOUND SHEAF Walter Grumbacher, New York, 'N. Y;, assignor to Spiral Binding 00. Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York a Application February 16, 1933, Serial No. 656,994

5 Claims.

My present invention relates generally to book binding, and has particular reference to the binding of sheaves or stacks of paper or the like by means of a spiral binding element.

While I have herein illustrated, and shall hereinafter describe, my invention as the same, ap-

plies to the binding of a stack of paper sheets, nevertheless it will be understood that my invention is by no means restricted to this type of sheet material but may have far wider applicability, the invention relating broadly to the binding together, in a permanent manner, of a plurality of sheet elements or the like. more, in the sense that I refer to my invention as applying to the permanent binding of sheaves, I use this term merely for the purpose of distinguishing from the conventional "looseleaf types of binding which are designed for rapid and continual insertion and removal of separate sheets. While the present binding is inherently removable, and replaceable, as distinguished from the conventional binding of a book or the like, whose removal would mutilate the entire assembly, the present binding is not primarily intended for continual removal or insertion of elements of the sheaf.

The type of binding to which my invention relates has come to be known in the trade as spiral bindings, and consists essentially in the association with a stack of sheets, the stack being provided with at least one line of equally spaced perforations along one edge, of a spiral or helical binding wire or element threaded, turn by turn, into engagement with the perforations of the stack. This general type of binding has a number of far-reaching advantages which need not be elaborated upon at this point, but which will be referred to and alluded to hereinafter as the several phases of my invention are described.

One of the main objects of my invention is to provide an improved means for associating a spiral binder with a stack of sheets which are to be bound thereby.

' Further and more detailedobjects and features of my present invention will become apparent upon a reading of the present specification;

For the attainment of the foregoing general objects, and such other objects as may hereinafter appear or be pointed out, I have constructed a machine and devised certain novel procedures and resultant products'which' are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure 1 is a perspective'view' of a machine of the present character;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the device of Figure Further- 2 1, certain elements being omitted and others being shown in cross-section;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view through a stack, illustrating one of the features of my invention;

Figure 5 is a fragmentarycross-sectional View through a portion of the machine of Figure 1 10 during one stage of the binding procedure;

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5, showing the parts in a difierent relationship;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken substantially along ure 5;

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 5, illustrating a modification; Figure 9 is a plan view of Figure 8, with certain parts omitted and others shown. in section; 2

Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 4, illustrating a modification;

Figure 11 is a view similar to Figure 8, illustrating a modification;

Figure 12 is a plan view of the bound sections 25 of Figure 11;

Figure 13 is a plan view showing one manner of applying my invention; and Figure 14 shows a modified manner of carrying out the invention.

. 30 The machine of Figures 1-3 is provided with a suitable base 30 provided with a support 3| for a reel or supply of elongated binding. wire 32. While I prefer to employ a relatively thin, metallic wire of circular cross-section for the present purposes, it will be understood that any suitable elongated, wire-like binder may be employed, provided that it is capable of undergoing the procedures herein illustrated and referred to. The wire 32 is caused to be advanced endwise from the reel or support 3|, thisbeing accomplished, for example, by. threading the wire through two spaced yet aligned tubular guides 33 and, 34, and causing the .wireto be engaged the line 1-1 of Fig- 15 by thecoacting friction rollers 35, in the space 45 of Figure '1, therebyfeeding or'advancing thewire 32 in anendwise manner; f

p In accordance withiny invention, thI w ire caused to be permanently deflected into a spiral or helical form during its advance; and I have shownonemethodofcan'yingoutthisstep,by feeding the -wire onto a stationary cylinder or rod" andcausingittopassbeneatha deflecting member ll whose lower face conforms snugly to the contour of the rod II. The lower face of member II is provided with a helicalgroove or channel through which the wire is constrained topass,therebycausingthewireto bepermanently deflected into a spiral. The pressure of the member 38 may be adjusted, as indicated at 8!.

By virtue of this method of forming a continuous spiral of the wire 32, the resultant spiral is set into rotation in the direction of the arrow 4| of Figure 1, and, in addition, the resultant spiral is caused to advance in the direction of its axis, the wire thus traveling helically around the rod 31 and toward the free end of the latter.

In accordance with my present invention, this step of continuously forming the spiral binding element is caused to fulfill the further function of directing the spiral into threaded engagement with the stack or sheaf which is to be bound.'

With this object in view, the machine embodies a support I upon which the stack is designed to be rested and held. A typical stack is shown at 42 in Figure 2, and it is to be noted that adjacent to the edge 43 there are a series of equally spaced perforations ll.

The pitch of the groove in the member 38 corresponds to the spacing of the perforations H, and the stack is positioned with its line of perforations substantially aligned with the axis of the spiral, so that the rotation of the latter (being an inherent resultant characteristic of the method of forming the spiral) may be taken advantage of in causing the spiral to be threaded, turn by turn, into engagement with the perforations 44.

To facilitate this process, the support ll is provided with a housing which accommodates the perforated end of the stack 42, and a preferred form of housing is more fully illustratedin Figures 5, 6, and 7. It consists of a substantially tubular device formed of the semi-circular bottom portion 45 and the semi-circular, complementary, top portion 46, these two portions being connected in hinged relationship by a piano hinge of the character illustrated at 41. The. housing conforms substantially in diameter to the diameter of the spiral being fed into it, and on the interior face of the housing there is pro vided a helical groove 48 which corresponds in pitch to the pitch of the spiral binder. The latter, therefore, is adapted to accommodate itself in the grooveway 48 as it advances and rotates, and the groove 48 serves as a convenient and efficient guide for the spiral binder in its traverse through this housing and in performing this function it acts to rectify or correct any deviations in the spiral binder from the ideal pitch, which for best results will be equal to the spacing of the perforations of the stack. Thereby, also, a spiral binder incorrectly pitched, may have its pitch corrected so as to be accurately aligned with the perforations in a stack. Such incorrect pitching as referred to, may, as can be imagined, result from manufacturing dimcu1 ties. For certain purposes, however, it may be the result of design, as where it is desired to obtain a binding eifect between the perforations and a resilient binding element having a normal pitch different from that of the perforations.

It will be understood, of course. that the Inordertopermitthesheets ofthestack 42 to-be skewed to a degree sufficient to conform to the pitch of the advancing spiral binder, the

' guide 4. is adjustable into various angular relationships, and this may be conveniently accomplished by mounting it upon a pivot pin supported in brackets BI and adapted to be locked at any desired obliquity by means of the nut or similar element ti.

It is also preferable to provide a clamping foot 52 upon the end of a bar I: hinged, as at it, to the support 30, and provided with a compression spring 55 which presses the lower end of the bar It outwardly and thereby causes the foot 62 to clamp or press downwardly upon the stack 42. I

At the rear end of the tubular housing through which the spiral passes I provide an automatic cutting device It which may be operated in any convenient or desired manner, preferably in timed relation to the advance of the wire, so as to cut the advancing and rotating spiral after it has completed its traverse through the perforations of the stack to be bound. At the forward end of the housing I provide a similar device 51 which is not needed for cutting the spiral but which is preferably employed for engaging the spiral and crimping or bending the end thereof so as to destroy the smooth continuity of the helix, thereby preventing retractive movement after the binding is accomplished.

Although any convenient mechanism may be employed for operating the devices 5 and 51. I have shown one method whereby a barrel cam 5! is caused to control the pivotal movements of the device 51. this cam being rotated in timed relation to the advance of the wire.

It is frequently desirable to adjust the sheets of the stack to conform the perforations, in addition to other adjustments thereof, to the diameter of the spiral binder, as illustrated in Figure 4, in which the sheets of the stack 42 have been skewed so as to force each perforation into an arcuate shape which conforms in radius to the radius of the advancing spiral. While this may be accomplished either by hand or by any desired mechanism or device, I have found it advantageous to accomplish this result by modifying the housing of Figures 5-7 by mounting therein a fixed cylindrical member ll having its forward face provided with a longitudinal groove 80, the bottomface of this groove being convexed to exactly theamount required to skew the sheets into the relationship illustrated in Figures 4 and 8. Where this device is used. the sheets to be bound are pushed rearwardly into the groove 60, as illustrated in Figures 8 and 9, whereby they are automatically adjusted into exactly the right relationship to position each perforation along the desired arc. For the sake of convenience, I have designated the upper and lower sections of the housing of Figures 8 and 9 by the reference numerals II and 45', thehinge being designated by the reference numeral 41'; and Figure 9 will illustrate how the guide groove 40' is caused to be continuous, throughout the housing.

By making the groove 80 of a width substantially equal to the thickness of a stack of sheets. it will be observed that the walls thereof serve to hold the perforated portions of the sheets of the stack against separation during the process of inserting the binding element.

Instead of adjusting the sheets to conform each perforation into an arc, it is sometimes equally satisfactory to construct the perforations with an over-sized diameter, as illustrated most clearly in Figure 10. In this figure, the stack Si is provided with perforations 62 which are over-sized, as will be noted by comparing the foremost perforation with the diameter of the spiral binder 63 being threaded into association therewith.

The provision for skewing the sheets, or in some other manner facilitating the threading operation, as, for example, by enlarging the perforations, is of particular importance where the stack is relatively thick and the spiral binder relatively small. Where a thick stack of sheets is to be bound, a further modification in the process, as illustrated in Figures 11 and 12, is sometimes advantageous. According to this procedure, the stack is divided into a plurality of sections arranged in spaced, angular relationship with the perforations of the several sections disposed substantially along the desired helix. The spiral binder, in advancing, is thus constrained to pass through only a relatively small thickness at a time. In Figures 11 and 12, for example, I have illustrated a stack which has been divided into the two sections 64 and 65, and in this particular instance the two sections are arranged at an angle of 180 to each other, but it will be understood that three or more sections may be employed and that the sections may thus be fixed at angular relations of 120, 90, or even less.

In carrying out the procedures of Figures 11 and 12, the support must comprise the two portions 66 and 61, arranged on opposite sides of a suitable housing 68; and it is also preferable to provide a cylindrical rod 69, similar to the rod 59, to facilitate the arrangement of the sheets of each stack section into the proper relationship. To accomplish this, the rod 68 may, for example, be provided with the opposite longitudinal grooves 10, the bottom surface of each groove being convexed to the proper degree, and if desired the width of these grooves may be related to the thickness of the stacks in such a way that they will serve to hold the sheets of the stack together.

The interior surface of the housing 68 will preferably embody a continuous helical groove, to serve as a guide, similar to the grooveway 48 illustrated in Figure 7.

When the two stack sections are bound togaher, by means of the spiral binder 1|, they will initially assume the relationship shown in Figure 12, but it is a relatively simple matter thereupon to rotate one of the sections onto the other to produce a unitary bound sheaf.

In Figure 13, 'I have shown another manner of threading a spiral binder into association with a stack. In this case, it is assumed that the spiral is not being automatically rotated by the mechanism which forms it. I have, therefore, shown a supporting rod 12 upon which the spiral 13 is mounted, and a driving belt 14 frictionally engaging the spiral binder I3 and causing it to rotate. With this arrangement, the stack It with its perforations 15 is suitably held or mounted in proper relationship to the advancing and rotating spiral binder, so that the latter will thread itself, turn by turn, into engagement with the perforations It. A suitable motor It may be employed for'driving thebelt l4.

In Figure. 11, I have illustrated .the'manner in which a stack 19 may be bound by means of two separate and independent binders 80 and II,

the latter being threaded into proper relationship in opposite directions and from opposite sides of the stack. A process of this character is sometimes desirable where the stack has a particularly great width. It will be understood that the inner ends of each binder are crimped or conditioned to prevent thorough unbinding.

It will, of course, be understood that changes in the details herein described and illustrated, for the purpose of explaining the nature of my invention, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims. It is, therefore, intended that these details be interpreted as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, and illustrated its use, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. A binding machine for a stack of sheets having a line of equally spaced perforations along one edge, comprising a support for a supply of wire, means for advancing said wire endwise from said support, means for permanently deflecting said wire, during its advance, into the form of a continuous spiral, and means for directing the resultant rotating spiral, turn by turn, into threaded engagement with the perforations of said stack; said last-named means comprising a support for said stack including a tubular housing for the perforated edge, said housing being receptively aligned with the rotating and advancing spiral so as to accommodate and guide said spiral during the threading operation.

2. A binding machine for a stack of sheets having a line of equally spaced perforations along one edge, comprising a support for a supply of wire, means for advancing said wire endwise from said support, means for permanently deflecting said wire, during its advance, into the form of a continuous spiral, and means for directing the resultant rotating spiral, turn by turn, into threaded engagement with the perforations of said stack; said last-named means comprising a support for said stack including a tubular housing for the perforated edge, said housing being receptively aligned with the rotating and advancing spiral so as-to accommodate and guide said spiral during the threading operation, said housing being provided with an interior helical groove conforming in pitch and diameter to said spiral and having its turns pitched so as to be adapted to register with the perforations in said stack.

3. In a device for inserting a spiral binding element into perforations previously formed in a stack of sheeted material, means for receiving the perforated end of the stack of sheets, said means comprising shoulders adapted to engage the outer surfaces of the outer sheets of the stack so as to prevent the separation of the sheets of the stack and said means also having an abutment adapted to engage the edges of the sheets so as to prevent displacement thereof in one direction, and guiding means surrounding said first mentioned means and adapted to guide the elements of the spiral in a predetermined path, and positioning means for the stack adapted to hold the stack in threading relation to the coils of the spiral.

4. A machine for inserting spiral binding elements into a stack of perforated sheets having spaced perforations along one edge thereof, comprising in combination, means for causing the spiral binding element to rotate and simultaneously to advance along a predetermined path, means for holding portions of the stack in separated relation so that the perforations in said portions lie in the path of advance of said spiral, whereby when said spiral element is caused to advance, it will be threaded thru the perforations of all of said fractional portions of the stack and whereby said fractional portions of the stack will be bound together by said spiral binding element in assembled relation so as to form a single stack spirally bound.

5. Apparatus for simultaneously threading a single spiral binding element into a plurality of portions of a stack of sheeted material, each portion being composed of similarly dimensioned sheets, each provided with a similar row of uniformly spaced perforations adjacent one edge thereof, said apparatus having means for positively guiding the spiral in a predetermined spiral path, means for positioning each of said portions so that their perforations are aligned with said predetermined spiral path at different portions thereof, whereby when said threading operation has been accomplished said individual portions will be threaded on the same binding element and may be folded together so as to form a single unitary stack, said apparatus further including positioning means for the portions of a stack, comprising a member positioned within said spiral path, and recesses provided therein, of such depth and conformation that when the edges of the stacks adjacent the perforations therein are inserted into said recesses so as to abut the inner walls thereof, said perforations may be caused to register with said spiral path.

WALTER GRU'MBACHER. 

